Patricky Freire: Michael Chandler May Never Be the Same After Wars with Alvarez, Brooks

After 15 Bellator MMA appearances, Patricky Freire will finally receive his long-awaited lightweight title shot when he squares off with Michael Chandler on July 24 in St. Louis.

The co-headliners of Bellator 157 “Dynamite 2” are not unfamiliar foes. Chandler defeated the elder “Pitbull” brother via unanimous decision in the 155-pound finals at Bellator 44 in May 2011, back when the so-called “Toughest Tournament in Sports” was still a staple of the California-based promotion.

Chandler went on to capture lightweight gold in his next bout, shocking Eddie Alvarez at Bellator 58 in one of the year’s most memorable fights. Prior to that win, Freire admits that he did not forecast stardom for Chandler even after losing to the former University of Missouri wrestler.

“Before the tournament he only had three fights,” Freire told Sherdog.com. “I saw he had something... but I still thought of him as a bit green ... I’m not gonna lie: I didn’t think he would be able to beat Eddie back then.”

Chandler went on to emerge as one of the faces of the promotion with three more dominant victories following that classic, but he stumbled beginning late in 2013, falling to Alvarez in a rematch at Bellator 106 before dropping consecutive bouts -- and both interim and undisputed lightweight gold -- to a rising talent named Will Brooks.

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Brooks has since been released to pursue offers from other promotions, allowing Freire and Chandler to vie for the vacant lightweight strap at Bellator 157. Although Chandler has since rebounded from that rough stretch with back-to-back stoppages of Derek Campos and David Rickels, Freiere believes those previous wars with Alvarez and Brooks have taken their toll on the ex-champion, both physically and in terms of perception.

“Those fights were very gruesome, and he took too much damage in those fights. We have the chance to see how much has that taken from him in those fights,” Freire said. “We’re going to see it now when he fights me. How’s his head? We see it with boxers that take too many hits. They’re never the same. So perhaps he will never be the same. I’m the worst guy to test that.

“Regarding his image, his place in the division it takes a hit because MMA fans have a short memory. ..is image took a hit for sure after losing all those fights.”

Takedowns played a key role in the first meeting between Freire and Chandler, as “Iron” Mike grounded his foe in both the second and third frames after trading punches with the Brazilian for the majority of the bout’s initial nine minutes. At the time, Freire said he wasn’t adequately prepared to deal with a wrestling-minded foe.

He vows that will be different this time around.

“Back then I didn’t know what wrestling was; I didn’t train wrestling. I didn’t how to attack against wrestling,” Freire said. “Ever since then I’ve been training. I know how to defend a takedown. I know how to execute a takedown. Back then my takedowns were jiu-jitsu type of takedowns. And jiu-jitsu fighters don’t know how to take people down. They know how to fight on the ground. What’s changed the most is that now I know how to defend, I know how to attack and I know how to exploit everything he’s going to present within the fight. That’s why it’s going to be different. It’s going to be very different.”